Good Leaders Are Good Teammates
No matter how great an individual player you are, your relationship with your team can make you or break you.
by Jim Wideman
posted 11/02/2007
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No matter how great an individual player you are, your relationship with your team can make you or break you.
I've always loved being a part of a team. I love team sports because it's fun to compete—but it's even more fun to be a member of the team. I also love playing in bands. The reason I have had as many as five different children's church bands at one time is so I'll always have a place to play guitar. I keep a guitar with me most all the time. I love to play every chance I get, but there is nothing that comes close to the joy of playing in a band. A band is more than a group of musicians; it's all about teamwork.
Teamwork is also important at church. I have had the chance to be on staff at four wonderful churches. I'll be honest—some of my most favorite memories of these churches have been related to being a part of these teams. There is a lot of hard work assembling and developing a team. The growth and goals we were able to achieve could not have been accomplished without ministers and ministries working together. But as great as it is to be a part of a team, some of my most frustrating moments in life have come from being a part of a team that did not function well. My least favorite times in ministry have occurred while on staffs made up of people that were all doing their own thing and not functioning as a team. Churches can become so departmental that we don't work together as a team.
My favorite definition of a team is Together Everyone Achieves More! It's plain that a team can accomplish more than an individual. Yet many staff ministers still insist on doing things themselves rather than understanding their role to help build a strong team. I believe in the importance of children's ministry in the local church, but children's ministry—as important as it is—makes up just one part of what the Lord is doing in the church to reach people of all ages. Not only do you have a responsibility to follow your coach's lead, but also as a team player you have a responsibility to lead your peers or teammates.
Here are four things you should be doing to influence and lead your fellow teammates and help move the team forward.
1. Be On the Ball!
A team player must be alert of what's going on and able to assess the situation for themselves and the team. A team player puts the goals, needs and good of the team first, rather than individual goals, wants, and needs. Each member of the team must value the team. Never forget that you are a part, not the whole enchilada. Respect and esteem every member of the team. Every ministry in the church, every team member, and every team leader are important to the success of the church. Be considerate of others. Ask yourself, "How do my actions affect others I serve on staff with?" Be observant of hard times, challenges, and setbacks that others experience. Come to their aid, willingly and quickly. Sow seeds of eagerness to help. Look for ways to lighten their load even when no one asks you to help. A team is only as strong as its weakest member. Each person on the team must learn to value what each team member does.
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